Jared-19 DNI
I like instructional books. I like poetry. I have a couple of books of poetry collections from Robert Frost, Edgar Allen Poe, Emily Dickinson and the Brontes to name a few. I think poetry has the ability to help people find, not the lowest common denominator, but perhaps- the prime number for a lot of complex emotional math.
I like learning languages. I own dictionaires in a couple different languages. I own at least one for both French and German. I don't have a Japanese-English dictionary, but honestly that's probably for the best. I imagine it would eat through my bookshelf space like a mother fucker.
I love being entertained. I own multiple books of fairy tales. The more obscure the tales inside, the better. Reading fairy tales can tell you a lot about the culture it came from in addition to just being fun! I also collect a couple of manga series. Read Or Die and Pet Shop of Horrors, which are both out of print, are part of my collection. I'm also on the look out for english copies of the english versions of Shoujo Beat. Naturally, I collect Elegant Gothic Lolita fashion magazines. I can read some of it, most of it i can not read. It's a litmus test for my gradual learning of the language.
Mai The Psychic Girl (1985-1986)
Mai the Psychic Girl is a comic series I own in complete series and bought at a convention, from a guy who had burned copies of weird, out of print import movies. If you ever find tose types of guys, absolutely buy from them because I went in completely blind and had a great time. It follows Mai, who has an ability called psycho-kinesis,colloquially called telekinesis- the abilty to move things with her mind. Her abilties catch the attention of a shadowy cabal who seek to use her for their own ends.
It's a japanese manga, flipped to be left to right, western format. But it doesn't try to hide its Japanese origin, like a 4kids production's localization team was sneaking into the office after hours. In fact, this was one of the first manga that had been completely translated into English.
The Plauge by Albert Camus
The Plague follows the lives of the inhabitants of Oran, as disease sweeps through their port town. The town is quarantined off and everyone, from the doctors and novelists to smugglers and the rats themselves have to deal with it. I read this before 2019. I didn't even think about this the whole time COVID19 was being hailed as the Black Plague come again, mostly because i was still working. That having been said, it's a very good read as fara s I remember.
Final Fantasy VII official Strategy Guide
This is less of a book and more of a collectable. This thing doesn't give you a whole lot that couldn't be done by an archived, ascii art gamefaqs guide. This isn't even a good collectable, because at least one page is loose and shoved as far into the binding as physics will allow. Attached pages are dog earred. There is a rip on the cover. I got it at a convention swap meet for close to nothing. It's worth way less than my copy of FF7 itself, but it's a nice companion piece to own. It still doesn't help me understand materia equipping on armor, but, i might never understand that.
Richard Peck's Blossom Culp series
Pichard Peck's Blossom Culp series follows a psychic girl and boy from back-water, middle of nowhere in 1912 and their encounters with the ghostly. If you're a kid who is into Eygpt, but don't know a whole lot about it, Blossom Culp and the Sleep Of Death, the last in the series, if for you. Otherwise, start with The Ghost Belonged To Me.
Shitty Horroscopes
Shitty Horroscopes by Amrit Brar is an art book displaying their astrologicaly themed drawings, featuring skeletons and nature.
Edgar Allen Poe's Poetry and stories
Way to be cliche, right? The poetry of Edgar Allen Poe was very formative and influenced my own stle of writing very much. The alliteration of "silken, sad, uncertain rustle of pearch purple curtain" alone can be seen echoing through my own original works, annoying everyone who has reviewed my unpolished poetry. Much of his work is centered around death, decay, or mystery. This fits in perfectly with his life, which also held a lot of mysterious diseases, death , and anguish for him. Even the happier works are limned in a faded perfume mist of sadness and longing.
The collected works of Robert Frost sits heavy on my shelf, looming over the tiny handbook copy of the Brontes' works. Only slightly less cliche to own that a copy of Poe's works.
Shel silverstein has a grimace as his author's portait which i often find funny. I met him as a kid, he was a pretty cool guy with a bright smile. I met him during a reading at school. Shortly after I got a copy of Where the Sidewalk Ends.
pssst, hey kid, you heard about.........fanfiction?
Listen, it would be remiss of me to say I read and not include the vibrant, thriving realm of fanfiction. Here are a handful of my favorite of favorites. If you want more, please check out my AO3 link on my About page.
Counter Crisis by Dragoon-sama and Kooricolada
Scorpion and the Frog by Zarinthel
Like those links? Now, I can't say all the fanfiction out there is of the same quality but what's good out there is Great! Just try to be familiar with the source material first.